SK Biopharm Q3 Operating Profit Surges 262% Year-on-Year to 70.1 Billion Won

Sales Reach 191.7 Billion Won, Up 40.4% Year-on-Year

On November 5, SK Biopharm announced that it recorded third-quarter sales and operating profit that exceeded market expectations, driven by the rapid growth of cenobamate (U.S. brand name: Xcopri).

SK Biopharm

SK Biopharm’s third-quarter sales this year reached 191.7 billion won, a 40.4% increase year-on-year, while operating profit surged by 262.4% to 70.1 billion won.

This performance was primarily led by the U.S. sales of cenobamate, SK Biopharm’s innovative anti-epileptic drug. Cenobamate’s U.S. sales grew by 11.7% compared to the previous quarter and by 51.9% year-on-year, reaching 172.2 billion won. The cumulative sales for the third quarter totaled 459.5 billion won, already surpassing last year’s annual sales. Despite a decrease in other sales and an increase in selling and administrative expenses compared to the previous quarter, operating profit increased due to the expanded operating leverage effect from the higher-margin U.S. Xcopri sales.

Notably, the company confirmed an accelerated increase in prescriptions this year compared to the same period last year, which is attributed to strengthened marketing efforts such as the NBRx contest, direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising, and the ‘Line of Therapy’ campaign aimed at advancing prescription lines. SK Biopharm plans to further strengthen new sales strategies and marketing activities to accelerate Xcopri’s growth.

Additionally, SK Biopharm is seeking to expand the market by broadening cenobamate’s indications and age range. In September, the company secured topline results from phase 3 clinical trials for primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures (PGTC) ahead of its initial schedule, confirming both efficacy and safety. Detailed clinical results will be presented at the 2025 American Epilepsy Society (AES) annual meeting in December. To expand the prescription age group, the company recently completed patient enrollment for pediatric safety trials and plans to submit a new drug application (NDA) for a suspension formulation within the year.

SK Biopharm is also striving to secure next-generation innovative drugs to follow cenobamate through various forms of collaboration. Leveraging the cash flow generated by the high growth of cenobamate sales, the company is laying the foundation to become a ‘balanced big biotech’ by expanding into new modalities and pursuing open innovation.

To further strengthen its stable revenue base, the company is working to introduce a ‘second product’ that will create strong synergy with its direct sales network in the U.S. market, established through cenobamate sales. SK Biopharm is preparing to submit an investigational new drug (IND) application for ‘SKL35501,’ a radiopharmaceutical (RPT) candidate introduced last year, and is also planning to bring in additional radiopharmaceutical candidates.

The company also aims to connect the entire process of drug discovery, development, and treatment through artificial intelligence (AI)-driven innovation, and to radically improve the quality of life for physicians, patients, and caregivers through AI/digital platforms. To this end, SK Biopharm was recently selected as an implementing organization in the medical and healthcare consortium of the ‘AI Specialized Foundation Model Project’ led by the Ministry of Science and ICT. Last month, the company officially launched ‘Mantis Care,’ an AI-based joint venture with Eurofarma, a leading pharmaceutical company in Latin America, in Canada, and began developing a patient management platform for epilepsy and wearable device-based digital therapeutic solutions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.